(April 23, 2013 at 11:47 am)Mister Agenda Wrote: No one becomes a missionary just because they're a theist, but they might because they're a particular kind of theist, combined with a personality willing to go through with it.

-This is precisely the point where the chain diverges. For the theist it will go something like "god, god, god, god, me - therefore" For the atheist, what?

Ever hear of Raellians? Atheism doesn't give you an immunity card against ideology. It doesn't do anything except describe a person's opinion on the topic of gods existing.

In the introduction to The God Delusion, Dawkins writes:

Quote:If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will
be atheists when they put it down. What presumptuous optimism!
Of course, dyed-in-the-wool faith-heads are immune to argument,
their resistance built up over years of childhood indoctrination
using methods that took centuries to mature (whether by evolution
or design). Among the more effective immunological devices is a
dire warning to avoid even opening a book like this, which is surely
a work of Satan. But I believe there are plenty of open-minded
people out there: people whose childhood indoctrination was not
too insidious, or for other reasons didn't 'take', or whose native
intelligence is strong enough to overcome it. Such free spirits should
need only a little encouragement to break free of the vice of religion
altogether.

Dawkins is speaking of you in the 3d sentence, DWD.

(April 23, 2013 at 10:42 am)Dawud Wrote: Hi I am a Muslim and I don't hate atheists.

I just want to check this to be certain.

Richard Dawkins was in no way influenced by atheism when he wrote the God delusion - this is because he was really reacting to theism (and not atheism)!

Is this really what most atheists here believe? That atheists are never motivated by atheism?

---

I'm not going to respond - I'm just checking that there is a consensus on this issue...

Atheism doesn't motivate

Well it's very complicated but I believe he was motivated by religion, atheism is there because theism is there, the root cause of the motivation is theism. That's what motivated the books. I don't believe in unicorns, but I'm only motivated to express my disbelief in unicorns if I'm talking with someone who believes in them, in which case it is their belief that is motivating me to talk about it but aswell as that you could say it is because of my own disbelief aswell, a clash of opinions. But the root cause would be their belief in unicorns, my own disbelief is only brought into existence because of them, they imagined a creature existed then i didn't believe in this creature, it was started by them.

Has anyone actually ASKED Prof Dawkins why he wrote the book?

(April 23, 2013 at 10:42 am)Dawud Wrote: Hi I am a Muslim and I don't hate atheists.

I just want to check this to be certain.

Richard Dawkins was in no way influenced by atheism when he wrote the God delusion - this is because he was really reacting to theism (and not atheism)!

Is this really what most atheists here believe? That atheists are never motivated by atheism?

---

I'm not going to respond - I'm just checking that there is a consensus on this issue...

Atheism doesn't motivate

It depends how you look at it, are you motivated by what you havent got or motivated by something that does exist.

For example are you more likely to see yourself as motivated to not worship jesus and commit shirk because youre a muslim or because are you motivated by a disbelief in jesus christ?

the problem i have with this is that im thinking can you really say a negative or non existant thing motivates someone?
could a boss say he motivates his employees by not making unmotivational statements to them? to me that doesnt make sense because theres no action being taken by the boss its just an inaction, he could say i motivated them by being kind to them, but not say he motivated them by actually not doing something, especially if he never made unmotivational comments towards them to begin with.

i could be wrong about this but this is just how i see it, its a lack of belief.

another example would be if my friend said he believes my mother is a whore, i believe she isnt, im so angry at my friend for believing this that i kill him.
now would i be motivated to kill him because of my lack of belief that my mother is a whore? or because he went around saying he believed my mother was a whore and out of anger?

i just realised i answered the question twice but thats how i roll.

pocaracas got it spot on

(April 23, 2013 at 10:42 am)Dawud Wrote: Richard Dawkins was in no way influenced by atheism when he wrote the God delusion - this is because he was really reacting to theism (and not atheism)!

Reacting to theism is precisely what atheism is.

(April 24, 2013 at 4:19 pm)Stimbo Wrote:

(April 23, 2013 at 10:42 am)Dawud Wrote: Richard Dawkins was in no way influenced by atheism when he wrote the God delusion - this is because he was really reacting to theism (and not atheism)!

Reacting to theism is precisely what atheism is.

I agree!

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"I have got knowledge that I have no belief in God so I decide to tell people this"

Yeah - I think it can motivate people.

(April 24, 2013 at 4:40 pm)Dawud Wrote:

(April 24, 2013 at 4:19 pm)Stimbo Wrote: Reacting to theism is precisely what atheism is.

I agree!

Then how can

(April 23, 2013 at 10:42 am)Dawud Wrote: this is because he was really reacting to theism (and not atheism)!

possibly make any sense?